


Too Much Attention

by Lunar_Dust1999



Category: Free!
Genre: Confused and slightly annoyed Nitori, Everyone else is sorta there, For Nitori's attention of course, M/M, Maybe NagiMomo idk, NagiToriMomo??? Who knows, Nagisa and Momo fight, Polygamous relationship in the future, Romance I guess, lots of flirting, lots of jealousy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-02-19 21:00:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2402708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunar_Dust1999/pseuds/Lunar_Dust1999
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Was there a thing as too much attention? If not, then Nitori wasn't sure what it was. Seriously, how did it turn out like this? All he wanted was to have some peace and quiet, but that was impossible if Nagisa and Momo had any say in the matter. They had both been so clingy and loud that Nitori wasn't sure what to do anymore. When the blond and redhead clash...Let's just say that things get even more complicated and chaotic than usual.<br/>...<br/>Basically Nagisa and Momo compete for Nitori in a friends(?) sort of thing. Hey! Friends get jealous, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. So Much For A Peaceful Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nitori was just hoping for some rest that weekend but a certain Mikoshiba brother makes it really hard to have a peace of mind.

**Nitori**

"Nitori-senpai!" Momo called out as he made his way to his roommate, who had been happily reading a book while lying on his bed until the first year had noisily opened the door and interrupted the relaxing atmosphere. It was a nice Saturday afternoon and the second year wanted to use this time to catch up on his reading and relax. Unfortunately, with Momo as a bunk mate, that was never going to happen.

"What is it now, Momo?" Nitori asked as patiently as he could. It had been the third time in the past hour that he had been barging in the room, asking the older boy random things before leaving to go "pick up chicks". 

"Can I borrow 3000 yen?"

"Why?" There was no way that Nitori was letting him borrow money. He never payed back.

"Please, Nitori-senpai! I want to buy some ice cream! It's hot outside and I'm broke." 

"I don't think you need that much to buy an ice cream cone..." 

"How about you come with me and we can have one together!" Momo knelt down and put his elbows on Nitori's bed, looking hopeful and excited. 

"I don't want to go anywhere today." The silver-haired boy dismissed the idea and immediately went back to his book, which was hard considering that Momo had decided to tug and shake his arm impatiently.

"Please senpai! You're so boring!" He argued, "Today's a nice day and you're spending it cooped up in here with a boring book."

"It's not boring!" Nitori defended himself. 

"Please! Please! Please! Please!" Momo kept repeating the same word over and over. Nitori tried his best to ignore the taller male, but Momotarou was definitely something that you couldn't ignore, especially when he wanted something. In the end, Nitori sighed, giving in to the other boy because no matter how much he tried to fight, Momo always won.

"Fine, but we have to be back by curfew and-" Nitori didn't get to finish because Momo was already pushing him towards the door. Guess he'd finish his book later when his kohai was sleeping. That was probably the only time that he wasn't talking, but his snoring made up for it so it wasn't the best alternative. 

As Momo dashed out through the corridor, pulling Nitori with him, they passed Rin and Sousuke, who gave them a weird look. Nitori tried to give them an apologetic smile and a brief explanation but didn't have the time for the second and first year were already out the door. 


	2. Mall Mayhem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa makes an appearance...
> 
> Nitori isn't sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

**Nitori**

When Nitori accepted Rin's invitation to go to the Mall with the Iwatobi Swim Team, he figured that it would be a good idea since he needed to buy some new clothes, considering that a certain roommate kept borrowing his stuff without asking. Nitori had forgotten about a little problem. A little blond problem.

"So where are we meeting your friends, Rin-senpai?" The short boy asked Rin as they walked. 

"We're meeting them at the Swimsuit Store. Haru will probably stop there to buy new swimsuits even though he has dozens of the same one," He smirked, "But then we can go wherever else."

"That's great, so I can buy-" Nitori was interrupted by a loud voice from behind them.

"Rin-chan!"Nitori turned around, only to be body slammed by Nagisa, almost knocking them both off their feet. "Ai-chan, you came too? This is going to be so much more fun!" He squeezed Nitori until he could barely breath.

"Stop...calling me...Ai-chan," The other managed. 

"Alright Nagisa, let go," Rin sighed, detaching the blond from his other friend. 

"Aw, Rin-chan!" Nagisa whined, pouting that he had nothing to hold onto.

"What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be with the others?" The redhead asked as they continued on their way. Meanwhile, Nagisa had made himself comfortable in between, cutting off Nitori's arm's circulation. 

"I came to tell you that the others couldn't make it. Haru-chan ended up getting sick for sleeping in the bathtub again and Mako-chan's taking care of him. Rei-chan couldn't come with me either because he had to do a project for History."

"Are you serious? And they couldn't call or something?" Rin demanded. 

"Sorry, but at least we can have fun!" Nagisa smiled widely while Nitori was trying to pull his arm away. "So why are you here, Ai-chan?"

"Don't call me-never mind. I came because I needed to buy some clothes bec-"

"That's great!" Nagisa interrupted, "We can shop together! I saw this shirt the other day that would be perfect for you!"

"I don't want to waste an afternoon shopping for clothes." The redhead scoffed. 

"Okay, Rin-chan! Me and Ai-chan can go alone."

"What!?" Nitori asked. He couldn't spend three hours with Nagisa without going crazy. He looked at Rin pleadingly, hoping that he could still be saved, but before his senpai could even form a word, Nagisa was already pulling him along.

"Bye, Rin-chan!" He called from behind and Nitori had no choice but to get pulled along. Being manhandled so much happened a lot more than he was willing to admit and he didn't like it, but saying no to Nagisa was also close to impossible. 

...

"Oh, look, Ai-chan! This is your kind of shirt." Nagisa shoved the t-shirt into Nitori's hands. The silver-haired boy studied the pink shirt with a penguin in the middle of it. 

"Isn't this your kind of shirt?"

"No! It has Ai-chan written all over it," The blond protested, "Go try it on." Before he knew it, Nitori was shoved into a changing room. _Well, it won't hurt to try it_ _on_ , Nitori thought. He took his shirt off and pulled the pink one on. He studied himself on the mirror. 

"Ai-chan, are you wearing it?" Nagisa asked from the other side of the door.

"Stop calling me that!" Nitori shouted back, "And I'm not coming out with this shirt. It's so embarrassing!"

"It can't be that bad."

"Well it is."

"I'll buy you Strawberry Daifuku if you let me see." Nitori paused for a moment. He did like the sweet red bean paste and mochi. 

"Okay," Nitori finally opened the door and stepped out, blushing furiously. He looked ridiculous, but the dessert was going to be worth it. 

"You look cute Ai-chan! You should buy the shirt!" Nagisa gushed, looking him up and down. 

"No I don't!"

"Okay then I'll buy it!" The blond came up to him and pulled the shirt off, leaving him bare chested. 

"Nagisa!"

"Here are these you could try," Nagisa told him and dropped a pile of garments in Nitori's arms and pushing him in the changing room one more time.

...

Nitori managed to pick a few shirts that weren't so...Nagisa. After they left the Mall, Nitori noticed how late it was getting. He hadn't kept track of time but when he looked at the time on his phone, it was already 7 pm.

"I better get back to the dorm," Nitori announced, "It's almost curfew."

"That's alright. Sorry we didn't get to buy you your Strawberry Daifuku." Nagisa apologized. 

"It's okay, maybe next time." As soon as the sentence slipped from his mouth, Nitori regretted immediately. Nagisa grinned widely and jumped on Nitori, an arm tightly wrapping itself around his shoulders. 

"You want to hang out with me again? Let's exchange phone numbers then, Ai-chan! That way we can text and talk and send pictures of each other and-" Nagisa chatted the entire way, not letting go of him until they finally were in front of his room. 

"Okay, bye Nagisa." 

"Bye Ai-chan, I'll text you later." Nagisa waved and left, but not before giving Nitori another bone crushing hug. 

Nitori sighed. That boy was too feely-touchy. Didn't he know what was personal space? He entered his room, happy to be in his nice, quiet-

"Hey Nitori-senpai!" Momo greeted him, talking right in his face, "Rin-senpai said you went to the Mall. I feel a little bad that you didn't take me, but I see that you brought me something!" With that, he ripped the shopping bag from the other's hand and sat cross-legged on the bottom bunk, taking out clothes and commenting on each one. 

"Momo, that's not...Never mind." There was no use arguing with Momo. His kohai was going to end up "borrowing" them anyway do there was no use in wasting his breath. "Can we go to sleep now?" 

"This orange one suits my hair, don't you think so senpai?"

Nitori sighed. What was he going to do with him?

 


	3. Unwanted Presents That You Can't Throw Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momo must compete with this "Hazuki-kun" character.

**Nitori**

It was barely morning when Nitori was awoken by a knock on the door. Momo was still snoring like an elephant but he had gotten used to it. Nitori groggily got up wondering who that could be at this time on a Sunday. 

"Rin-senpai? What are you doing here?" He asked when he saw his ex-roommate. 

"Sorry Ai, but I bumped into Nagisa while I was taking my morning jog. Apparently, he was going to come and give you this, but I told him that I'd save him the trip and deliver instead." He handed a box and small bag to Nitori. 

"Uh, thanks, but why was he coming so early? It doesn't really make sense."

"I don't know, but this is Nagisa. It doesn't have to make sense." Rin explained, "I better get back to jogging. See ya in a few hours."

"Okay, see ya." Nitori went back inside. He curiously opened the box and inside there were a dozen Strawberry Daifukus. Nitori looked at the pastries for a few moments, wondering what was up with that loony blond, but it wasn't like he was going to complain about getting treats. He then opened the bag.

"Nitori-senpai!" Nitori looked up to see Momo coming down from his bunk, rubbing his eyes, "Why are you awake at this time?"

"Did I wake you? Sorry, Momo. It's just that Rin-senpai brought this and-"

"Oh, Strawberry Daifukus! Can I have one?" Momo pouted at him. Seriously, the first year had such a short attention span.

"Sure, but brush your teeth first."

"Aw, but Nitori senpai-"Then he noticed the bag, "What's in there?"

"Oh, I don't know." Nitori placed the dessert on his study desk and pulled out a shirt. It was that same pink shirt that Nagisa had bought yesterday. A note fell on the floor. 

"That looks like a nice shirt, Nitori-senpai!" Momo laughed. 

"It's not funny!" Nitori blushed. He wished he could burn the shirt, but he didn't want to make Nagisa feel bad.

"What's this?" Momo knelt down and snatched up the small paper. "Ai-chan, now you have to wear the shirt because it was a present. Your favorite blond, Nagisa." he read. Momo stared at the note in his hand for a second before looking back at Nitori. "Who's Nagisa and why is he calling you Ai-chan?"

"It's just that boy from the Iwatobi swim club. You know, Hazuki Nagisa? I hung out with him yestesday at the mall, but I told that I didn't want this shirt." Nitori crinkled his nose as he held out the fabric, "But I can't get rid of it now."

"Why not?" Momo asked, "If you don't like it then, why keep it?"

Nitori didn't catch the annoyed undertone in his kohai's words as he folded Nagisa's gift and put it in his drawers. "Because it was a gift and you can't just throw away something like that. No matter how much you hate it."

"Oh." Momo seemed lost in thought for a minute before smiling again, "Alright, we're already up so we should-" A soft ringing from Nitori's phone interrupted him. The second year sighed, guessing who it might be. He walked to his bed and picked up his device and flipping it open, seeing a message box blinking on the screen.

_**Nagisa: Good morning Ai-chan! Did you like your gifts? ;)** _

_**Nitori: Do you know what time it is? What's wrong with you!?** _

_**Nagisa: U should wear the shirt for the next time we hang out :D** _

_**Nagisa: But too bad I have a busy day today. :(  Maybe tomorrow**_  

There was no way to get out of this. It was Nitori's fault that he got himself in this situation so he had to agree. With a sigh, he replied.

_**Nitori: Ok. See you then** _

"What are you doing, Senpai?" Momo looked over his shoulder, his eyes quickly skimming through the messages before the other boy could stop him. "You're going to see him again?"

"Yeah," Nitori sighed again.

"It doesn't look like you're very excited."

"I'm not particularly overjoyed, no."

"Then why didn't you just ignore him?! It doesn't look like you like him anyway." Nitori was too tired to catch the scowl in Momo's face.

"I don't not like him." The second year tried to explain, "He's just hard to handle. Kinda like you." He smiled at his kohai at the last part. The redhead gave him a small glare. 

"I'm nothing like this Hazuki-kun." Momo scoffed. _If only you knew_ , Nitori thought as he shook his head slightly and rolled his eyes and prepared himself for the day. 

"Hey, Nitori-senpai. I'm going to go out for about an hour." Momo informed him, "Will you be here when I come back?"

"I don't have any plans today so yeah, I guess."

"Awesome! I'll be right back so we can do something later," He grinned, gaining his hyperactive personality again and dashed out the room, leaving Nitori confused, but when was he not confused when it came to Momo?

...

Nitori had decided to clean up the room while he waited for the younger boy. The place was pretty messy, which Momo had been mostly responsible for. The beds were easy enough, but having to pick up dirty laundry and trash from the floor took longer then expected, but he was done by the time the door slammed open and a very energetic redhead came in.

"Hey Nitori-senpai!" Momo greeted him, "Did you miss me?"

Nitori ignored the question, "So where did you go anyway?"

"I went out to get you this!" Momo held up the shopping bag in front of Nitori's face. "Here, take it. It's a present." 

"Uh, okay," Nitori eyed the bag suspiciously. He remembered all the other times where Momo had given him insects as gifts, but seeing the buoyant glint in Momo's orange eyes, Nitori took the bag and opened it carefully.

"Nothing's moving so that's a good sign," he muttered and plunged his hand in, pulling out an orange shirt. He unfolded it and studied the otter design on it. _Great, another embarrassing shirt to worry about,_ Nitori thought, but of course he couldn't say that to Momo and crush his spirits.

"Thanks, Momo, but why did you-"

"So Hazuki-kun can buy you presents but I can't?" Momo frowned.

"I didn't mean that. I just find it odd."

"I just wanted to give something to my senpai." Momo squirmed, looking at the ground shyly, "You don't like it?" Now how could Nitori say no? He hated being so nice all the time.

"No, I really like it. In fact, I'll...wear it today." God, why did he have to get himself into trouble?

"Really? Great! Hurry up and change so we can go have fun! Let's go to the park and look for beetles and frogs and-" Nitori groaned. This was going to be a not so fun day, considering that he never liked creepy crawlers as much as Momo did.

"I don't like bugs," He vainly complained, knowing that his kohai never listened, as he was complimenting that the otter shirt looked great on his senpai.

 

 

 


	4. When a Penguin and Otter Clash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa knew from the moment they met, he and Momo weren't going to get along.

**Nagisa**

The bubbly blonde hopped along to Samezura Academy after school. He had told his friends that he was going to go do some business. Makoto and Rei asked about what kind of "business" this might be, but Nagisa only winked and said he was going undercover for a very important mission. Of course, that very important mission was getting to spend time with Ai-chan. 

He wasn't sure why he was so curious about the silver-haired boy. Maybe it was because the boy was always so eager about swimming. He always had this glint of determination that Nagisa found intriguing. Nitori was so shy and made an effort, it seemed to make sure to stay at a comfortable distance between people, letting them set the amount of closeness. Nagisa, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He was loud and open. he liked to talk and play around a lot. Not to mention that he knew nothing about personal space, but maybe that was his sisters' fault since in his house, there was no such thing as personal space. The blond wasn't sure why he wanted to spend time with the other breaststroke swimmer, but he never did think too much about his decisions in the first place. 

Nagisa decided to text Nitori to see where he was. Hopefully they could go somewhere and do something. 

**Nagisa: hey Ai-chan!!!!!!!!!! ^_^**

A few seconds later came a reply. Nagisa smiled widely at the response. 

**Ai-chan: Quit that! So, how's it going?**

**Nagisa: where r u**

**Ai-chan: ...Why?**

Nagisa had to hold in a giggle.

**Nagisa: pls! im on my way 2 ur skool :D**

**Ai-chan: I can't hang out. I promised Momo that I'd help him with his Math. He's really bad.**

Huh? Who was this "Momo" character? Maybe it was that first-year boy with orangey red hair. He suddenly got an idea. Nagisa still had his backpack from school and he had Math homework that he was struggling with. Ai-chan was really smart when it came to numbers. 

**Nagisa: i just remembered dat im havin trouble in math. can u help me 2**

It took a minute before he got a reply.

**Ai-chan: Well, ok. But you need to pay attention. No playing around.**

He agreed. This was great news to Nagisa. He couldn't wait to hang out with Nitori, even if there was going to be someone else. Now that he confirmed their study date (hmm...date...) he typed a few more messages just to mess with Ai's flustered self.

**Nagisa: YAY! So were r we goin to b**

**Nagisa: r we goin 2 bang in ur room**

**Nagisa: oops. i meant hang ;P**

It didn't take long before he got a long message from him about the importance of spell checking and making sure that you've typed exactly what you've wanted to say. Ai-chan was too adorable sometimes. 

**Nitori**

The nerve of Nagisa sometimes! Why couldn't he spell check when he typed? Sure it was just a text and no one really spelled anything correctly anymore (with the exception of himself because he was a total nerd). Now he couldn't stop blushing at that embarrassing reply. To make matters worst, while he was having a conversation with the blond, he was walking with Momo to their dorm and he just couldn't hide anything from Momo.

"Who are you texting, Nitori-senpai?" he peered over his shoulder, pressing his body weight on Nitori, who was shorter and not very strong. 

"Momo, stop it or I'll fall on my face." He told the redhead. "If you must know it's Nagisa. He wants to go out with me."

Momo stopped in his tracks. "What?! He asked you out on a date?!" Nitori looked at the other boy, noticing complete shock. Realization dawned on him and he immediately blushed. 

"No! Not a date!" Nitori tried explaining, " I meant to _hang_ out with me. Sorry if you misunderstood." Momo continued to stare blankly at him for a moment until he just burst out laughing. 

"Senpai is so funny!" He managed between laughter, doubling over and hugging himself. 

"It was an honest mistake!" Nitori blushed even harder. "Can we just go! He's probably already waiting for us at our dorm." And continued walking. 

"Huh?" he heard Momo catching up, "What do you mean 'he's probably waiting for us'?"

"Oh, he kind of asked me if I helped him with some Math and I figured that it could be like a study group thing. Sorry I didn't tell you." Nitori noticed the annoyance displayed on the younger boy's face, his smile turning into a frown. 

"But I asked help first!" he protested, "Hazuki-kun should wait his turn." He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed childishly.

"Please, Momo. I already agreed and I can't just say no. It would be rude." Nitori reasoned. 

"Fine." his kohai finally sighed. "Nitori-senpai is too nice for his own good." _I totally agree_ , Nitori thought.

...

"Ai-chan!" Nitori groaned as he almost toppled over by Nagisa wrapping his arms around him and squeezing the life out of him. Nitori would have to ask Nagisa how he got so strong and get some tips.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?" Nitori complained, trying to subtly get Nagisa's arm off his neck, but it was not working and eventually gave up. Then he remembered that Momo was watching. "Um, Nagisa. This is Momo."

Then it got a little awkward.

 **Nagisa**  

Momo and Nagisa stared at each other for a second with the blond still attached to the other second year. The air turned tense between them and Nagisa just knew that they wouldn't get along, but the redhead was Ai-chan's room mate so he would have to play nice...for now. 

This would be the his greatest acting challenge in his life. "Hi, Momo-chan," he smiled widely and almost forcefully and he could tell that Momo hadn't bought his sweet greeting.

"So you're Hazuki-kun, huh?" Momo equally forced himself to be friendly. "I'm actually Mikoshiba Momotarou, though since I barely know you." Nagisa immediately picked up on the dislike of the nickname and the Iwatobi swimmer couldn't be more pleased with himself. 

"I think I like Momo-chan better." Actually, no, he didn't like it, but seeing the first year cringe felt good. Nitori was staring with confused and almost worried eyes. He must've felt the apprehensive atmosphere because he decided to intervene.

"Dont worry too much, Momo. Nagisa does that to everyone." 

"You've got that right, Ai-chan!" Nagisa beamed as he kept an arm around Nitori's shoulders and promptly ignored the daggers Momo was sending his way. He was definitely going to have fun on this study date.


	5. Dislike! Dislike Everywhere!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Study sessions are tough when 2/3 of the group is fighting so much

**Momotarou**

Momo liked to think of himself as a people person. He was always the one that liked to lighten the mood and crack jokes and generally stop any tension. But Hazuki was making him act like...well, NOT himself. For some reason, Momo was angry and annoyed at the blond that had the nerve to just cling to his senpai like they were old pals and make such suggestive yet casual comments randomly. This definitely didn't stop the glaring the kohai sent towards the cheeky second year that had made himself comfortable between Ai-senpai and him, almost pushing him completely off the desk they were trying to share. 

"Guys, I'm sure we can make more room if one of you sat on the floor or the bed," Nitori suggested as he tried to keep his notebook and papers from falling from the cluttered surface of the desk.

"You're right, Ai-chan!" Nagisa agreed and turned to the red head to his left. That smile didn't sit well with Momo. It felt too cheerful and fake. He knew that Hazuki didn't like him. He could just tell and surely the blond figured that the feeling was mutual. "Momo-chan!" Momo tried his hardest not to show the obvious displeasure at that horrid name. "You should sit on the floor!"

"What?! No way!" he immediately protested and pointed a finger at Hazuki. "You should since you're taking more than half the room!"

"But I sat down first so I called dibs," the other retorted and grinned mockingly like he'd won the argument. Momo would not be deterred. 

"Yes but I asked for Ai-senpai's help first so it makes sense that I sit with him so that he can help me more! It's only fair."

"I suck at math though. Ai-chan should help ME more," with that, the Iwatobi student hugged one of the silver-haired boy's arms and pouted at him. "You said you'd help me, Ai-chan."

"Maybe I suck at math more," the first year shot back. Before the arguing could go any further, Nitori got up from his chair suddenly, surprising the other boys. They watched him as he silently grabbed a few papers from the desk, roll them up and smacked both Nagisa and Momo on the head. 

"Ouch! Ai-chan!" Nagisa exclaimed as he rubbed his head. 

"What was that for senpai?" the other mimicked the blond. It hadn't hurt that much but Momo begrudgingly admitted that Hazuki looked kinda cute rubbing his head and pouting and he couldn't leave that intruder without having any competition. He vaguely wondered at the back of his mind why he cared that Nagisa looked cute in front of Nitori and why he thought the retched blond was cute in the first place. 

"Because you two deserved it," Ai-senpai explained as he smiled, satisfied that they had stopped arguing. "Now we can get some real work done. Let's all just sit on the floor and I'll sit between you two so that I can help you both equally. Okay?" 

"Okay," the other two boys said in unison, eyeing each other with dislike. 

. . .

After an hour of studying and having a few breaks since Momo and Hazuki just couldn't seem to go ten minutes without arguing, Nitori called it a day. 

"But I think I need more help on this, Ai-chan," Nagisa whined. 

"Same here!" Momo chimed in. 

"I think that's enough for today, guys. I'm tired and would like to just go for a walk and get some fresh air. Maybe Rin-senpai and Sousuke-senpai will let me join in their afternoon jog." 

Before they could protest any further, Nitori hurriedly was out the door, not bothering to dress for the jog which made Momo wonder if he'd lied. The suspicion didn't last long though because now he was alone with Nagisa Hazuki, whom he couldn't stop being annoyed at every little thing he did. 

"Awww, I wanted to spend more time with Ai-chan," the blond yawned as he got up from the floor. Momo didn't say anything, intending to just ignore him until he left. The red head settled for picking up his homework and stuffing it in his backpack. "So, how are you doing...Momo-chan?" Momo froze. The way Hazuki had spit out his nickname made it clear he was dropping the friendly act. Even though he himself hadn't tried to be all smiles towards the blond, Momo could finally stop trying to hide the dislike he felt, even if he had been doing a bad job in the first place. 

The first year got up and turned to glare at the other, "Stop calling me that. I don't like it and I don't like you."

Nagisa puffed his cheeks and looked at him annoyed, as if it was MOMO that had the nerve to ruin HIS day. "That's so mean, Momo-chan. Rude, much?" 

"Maybe but you're not so polite yourself. Besides, you don't like me either, right?" 

The second year hummed and tapped his chin with his index finger, as if he was thinking about it. "Dislike Momo-chan? Me? He was not being very friendly to me so maybe I do dislike you." He grinned widely, happy with his answer, which frustrated Momo even more. 

"Well you weren't exactly all rainbows and roses either!" he accused. "You are such a poser."

"I guess I am guilty of faking," the other admitted, "But only for you, Momo-chan!" Was that supposed to make Momo feel special or something? Because if it was, he wasn't feeling it. In fact, his anger was boiling at this point and all he wanted to do was wipe that smirk of Hazuki's face. "But you were holding back, too! And I think I know why."

"Oh do you now?" Momo challenged as he raised an eyebrow. 

"Yep!" Nagisa said cheerfully. "Because it's the same reason I was acting nice." How could the blond know why Momo was acting the way he was when Momo wasn't entirely sure himself. Maybe this was some sort of trap the other wanted him to fall into. Maybe it didn't mean anything and Momo just didn't like Nagisa and that was that. 

"You like Ai-chan, don't you?" Nagisa asked. Momo felt his cheeks flush rapidly as the words left the other's mouth before he could completely process the question. Then it hit him.

Oh. Suddenly, everything clicked in his head. He didn't like Nagisa because the blond was too touchy and nice and friendly and actually cute towards Ai-senpai. It made his blood boil watching Nagisa not care about clinging to Nitori or making him blush with his inappropriate comments or dragging him to places to hang out together. Then the words the breaststroke swimmer said before came to him...

_Because it's the same reason why I was acting nice._

Well this sucked.

"You like Ai-senpai, too." It wasn't a question because Momo knew he didn't have to ask, but Nagisa simply nodded. 

"Took you long enough to figure it out," he teased. Yeah, Momo really didn't like this guy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back! Took me a while to update this. I have no excuses and I'm sorry xc 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy going into Momo's head because I sure did ^_^ Hopefully I can update faster but I can't promise anything. See you guys whenever it happens. I'll try to update as soon as possible!!


	6. Flirting with the Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa is a shameless flirt but maybe that was Momo's fault, right? All that's certain is that the war has definitely begun. Poor Ai.

**Momotarou**

They stayed silent for a moment, sizing each other up. Momo couldn't believe it. Nagisa Hazuki had the hots for Ai-senpai? And even worse, he himself felt that way too. _That's so unfair!_ the red head thought as he continued to stare daggers at the blond, who didn't seem phased by him. 

"Back off," The youngest of the two finally growled. Hazuki's magenta eyes widened at the statement before he burst out laughing, leaving a confused boy to wonder what was so funny about anything. His laugh was obnoxiously endearing if Momo admitted to himself. That still didn't deter him from his stance. Ai-senpai belonged with him. It was so obvious! The redhead continued to glare.

"You're so funny, Momo-chan," the blond managed to spit out as he kept giggling and holding his sides, doubling over. This caused Momo to become even more infuriated. He clenched his hands into fists, hard enough to feel the ache of his nails digging into his palm. 

"I'm serious!" the first year almost shouted. "You can't have him. He's my senpai and I know him a whole lot better than you so it only makes sense that I date him." 

Hazuki stopped laughing and smirked at him, "Well I've known Ai-chan longer, we have more in common and I'm pretty sure he finds you annoying." 

"WHAT?! No, he finds YOU annoying," Momo exclaimed. "I can tell!" 

Hazuki huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "If he found me annoying, he wouldn't hang out with me. The only reason why he hangs out with you is because he has to."

"Nuh-uh," Momo shook his head furiously like a child, "He only hangs out with you is because he's too nice to say no. Otherwise, he would avoid you at all cost."

The second year put a hand over his mouth to keep from giggling, "You're cute when you act like a little kid." He was obviously mocking him. Momo could hear it in his voice. The 'cute' comment meant to hurt his masculinity, which it did. No one called him cute! Another part of him felt embarrassed and he started blushing for some reason. _Why does my face feel hot?_ he questioned frantically, _I should be angry, not blushing like some school girl. Get it together Momo!_

He had to retaliate before that blond made fun of him some more, but he wasn't sure what to say. He had to think of something quick.

"I-I'm not cute!" he protested. "You're cute." Wait, that sounded wrong. Maybe that wasn't a good comeback. Did Momo compliment him or what? From the look of utter shock on the other's face, the backstroke swimmer could tell that he'd caught Hazuki off guard. His ear tips were a bright red as he cleared his throat, trying to compose himself. What was that all about? Had he finally beat the blond at his own game? Was this victory?

"Awww thanks Momo-chan. I didn't know you felt that way about me, too," Hazuki taunted. And victory had left the door...

"I didn't mean- what I said was...ugh," Momo stopped his stuttering before he dug himself a deeper hole. "Whatever, just know that I'm going to make senpai fall in love with me and there's nothing you can do about it." 

"Oh? What if Ai-chan falls in love with me first?" the blond retorted. 

"As if I'm gonna lose to someone like you," Momo dramatically pointed a finger at him. "Watch, when he falls in love with me, you'll have to leave us alone and have to stop flirting with him!" 

"And when I win, you have to stop trying to interrupt our alone time and can't butt in whenever me and him hang out." He mimicked Momo, causing their index fingers to touch. 

"Hey!" Momo retracted his hand as if he'd been burned. 

"What's wrong?" Hazuki smiled as he tilted his head slightly. "Afraid of a little contact?" 

"Pffft, yeah right," Momo crossed his arms over his chest, closing himself off from this dreaded guy in front of him. "I just don't know where you've been. Who knows what I might catch from touching you." 

The breaststroke swimmer shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Not a disease, if that's what you mean. Could've caught my hand maybe but other than tha-" 

"You are seriously not _flirting_ with me, are you!?" Momo couldn't believe this guy! There was no way he was flirting though, right? They didn't like each other. That had been made pretty clear. This was some tactic to throw him off. It had to be. _Well, two can play at that game, Hazuki._

 "I did no such thing. Why would I?" the blond asked with a knowing grin. "That's called wishful thinking."

"WHAT? Never!" Momo immediately shot down the idea. There was no way in Hell he'd ever want _Hazuki_ to flirt with him! 

"Whatever you say, Momo-chan," the older boy slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Let's make a deal then. If Ai-chan falls in love with you, I'll totally back off." He walked to the door but not before stopping in front of Momo. "But if he falls in love with me, you leave us alone. Okay?" He brought up his hand to be shaken. 

Momo hesitated. He wondered if Ai-senpai would appreciate him and Hazuki making deals that could affect his life so drastically. He also wasn't sure if Ai-senpai already liked someone or he wasn't interested at all. Should he even try if it meant making the rest of the year awkward between him and his roommate if all went wrong? He looked at the blond in front of him, who seemed so sure of himself. Like he could easily win the other second year's affections. That confident smile made Momo forget all his doubts and firmly shook the warm and surprisingly smooth hand in front of him, hoping he was squeezing it a little too hard. 

"Then it's settled. We start as soon as possible. Don't be surprised if you see me much more often." With that sickening announcement was made, Hazuki let go of his hand and turned to open the door. "And if neither of us can have Ai-chan, it'd be interesting to get to know each other. Wouldn't it, Momo-chan?" 

Momo remained silent, trying to process the implications of those words thrown over the other's shoulders. The click of the lock came a second before the blush reappeared on his cheeks and Momo wasn't sure exactly what that meant either.

"Idiot!" he yelled at the door, hoping that Hazuki had heard him. How dare he try to take away Ai-senpai and still manage to flirt when they didn't even like each other!? 

 _Oh this is war, alright._  Momo put on his earphones and listened to his music while laying on his bunk, waiting for Ai-senpai to come back from his run and to get a head start on beating Hazuki.

**Nagisa**

"Idiot!" The muffled response to his comment came from the other side of the door as Nagisa happily walked home. That Mikoshiba sure caught him off guard with that flirtatious comment about him being cute. Was that to mess with Nagisa's head? Surely that was the only reason. Well, he certainly couldn't be outstaged without a fight. If Momo wanted to play dirty that way, than Nagisa would gladly come back with twice what the younger boy had.

"Fight fire with fire," the Iwatobi swimmer muttered to himself as he rode the train home. It didn't really seem like the redhead would come up with any kind of stragedy though. He seemed like the kind of person to just barrel through without a plan. Improvise and hope he didn't completely screw up. Maybe he hadn't meant to make any kind of flirtatious advancements at Nagisa, but even if that was true, that didn't mean the second year wasn't gonna borrow the accidental idea to help him win. If he kept Momo guessing, there was no way he could lose Ai-chan's heart.

 _Everything's fair in love and war,_ Nagisa smiled to himself as he took out his cellphone and texted Ai-chan if he had plans tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Ai in this chapter :( But not to worry! Soon, he'll come back!


End file.
